Dispatches From Philadelphia: Day 4

President Barack Obama and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton wave as they appear on stage together on the third day session of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Wednesday, July 27, 2016.

One of the shorthand characterizations of our two political parties that has long had some truth to it has been that the Democrats are the mommy party, and the Republicans, the daddy party. This year, if the two parties’ conventions are any indication, those characterizations have become understatements. The Republicans under Donald Trump have become the swaggering macho bluster party, while the Democrats have become the take-care-of-the-children-and-don’t-bring-that-damned-gun-into-my-house party.

If you’ve watched the entire Democratic convention so far, and not just the big late-hour speeches, you’ve seen a constant drumbeat about Hillary the mom, the children’s advocate, the woman who bounced back after the defeat of Hillary-care to win the enactment of health insurance for children. You’ve seen a multi-night showcasing of her battles for gun control, attested to by a parade of bereaved mothers whose sons or daughters were gunned down by cops, or mothers whose policemen-sons and daughters were gunned down by bad guys. There’s been some presentations on paid family leave and securing equal pay for equal work, but the primary emphasis has been on Hillary and the Democrats as caregivers and comforters of the afflicted. Read More.

RACHEL M. COHEN

Last October, the National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers union, gave Hillary Clinton one of her earliest organized labor endorsements. Since then, the powerful group has been one of Clinton’s most vocal supporters. Neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump have spent much time discussing public K-12 education issues during the primary season. But recently, elementary and secondary education topics have attracted more attention. Clinton began articulating her education policy ideas at union conventions this month and Republican leaders championed school choice at their national convention last week.

The American Prospect’s Rachel Cohen sat down in Philadelphia with Lily Eskelsen García, the president of the three million-member NEA, to discuss the upcoming election, and what’s at stake for teachers and students. What follows is an edited and condensed transcript of that conversation. Read More.

While Democratic delegates were busy nominating the first woman to lead a major-party presidential ticket, Black Lives Matter protesters were downtown outside Philadelphia City Hall driving home a message their own: “Don’t vote for Hillary, she’s killing black people.”

The contrast between the chanting activists outside on the gritty, hot Philadelphia streets and the cheering delegates inside the festive, air-conditioned convention hall are the starkest indications yet that that the Black Lives Matter movement is poised to split between people who support more vigorous protests and those who favor working within the political system.

Tuesday’s Black DNC Resistance March attracted hundreds of people of all ages and races. Marchers wore “Stop Killing Black People” T-shirts and waved signs depicting the names of the scores of black men and women killed by police in recent years. Some protesters carried large white banners that read, “Hillary, Delete Yourself,” (a reference to the email scandal that engulfed the former secretary of state) and “Hillary has blood on her hands.” Read More.